


The One Where They Fake Date

by thestanceyg



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Idiots in Love, Minor Character Death, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 21:23:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12466208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestanceyg/pseuds/thestanceyg
Summary: Darcy's dad dies and she calls the only person she can think to: her best friend Spencer. Complications arise when she confesses she's been lying to her friends by telling them they're dating. Spencer agrees to keep up the lie by pretending to date her, even if it's at the cost of his own heart.





	The One Where They Fake Date

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shuofthewind](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shuofthewind/gifts).



> This work was inspired by [Do It All Again (Think You're My Best Friend)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5777647) by shuofthewind. Absolutely go and read that. It's perfection. I just...I swoon just thinking about reading it again. While my work can't live up to Do It All Again, I still hope shu accepts this as a thank you for writing something so flawlessly delicious.
> 
> I also want to thank [Dresupi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Dresupi/pseuds/Dresupi) for being an amazing beta. Everything she writes is a joy and you should check her out if you haven't already.

Spencer startled awake. He squinted at the clock and groaned; it was after 2 AM.  His phone continued ringing shrilly. He blinked blearily as his hand groped around the night table for his phone. It was probably a case. They had been home less than twelve hours, but this wouldn’t be the first time they had such a quick turnaround. “Reid,” he yawned into the phone.

“Spence?”

The fuzziness of his mind started to shake off at the unexpected voice. “Darcy?”

“I’m sorry to wake you up but it just happened and there was no one else to call and I needed to tell someone,” she said in a rush.

“What happened Darcy?” There was an edge of panic coloring her words he hadn’t heard before.

“My dad…,” she trailed off as her voice wavered, but she didn’t need to finish.  He already knew.

“Where are you?”

“I’m still at the hospital. I don’t know….there are things I need to do, but I don’t know what they are. God Spence, you think I would have looked it up; been prepared. But I wasn’t. I didn’t think this was it. I thought he was getting better.”

“What hospital, Darcy?”

“Mount Sinai.”

“Send me the room number. I’ll be there as soon as possible.” He was already pulling clothes out of his closet and throwing them into a bag.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and his heart broke.

“It’s going to take me a few hours, but I promise I’ll be there as fast as I can. Is Jane…”

“At a conference,” she said, cutting off that chain of thought. “I could call one of the others, but I’m not ready,” her voice stuttered a bit. “That makes it too real. I’m not ready for that.”

“That’s okay. You don’t have to be ready. You don’t have to call anyone else. I just didn’t want you to be alone.”

“I’ll be okay, knowing you’re on your way.” There was a small sniffle that she tried to hide.

“I’m on my way. I’ll be there soon.”

“Thanks Spoon. Love you.” She hadn’t called him Spoon in forever. He decided to ignore that he knew just how many times she had said she loved him and instead pulled off his pajama pants while carefully balancing the phone between his ear and shoulder.

“Ditto Bear,” he replied with practiced ease. “I’ll see you soon.”

_“You do know that Spencer is my name, right?”_

_Darcy laughed and bumped her shoulder into his and looked up at him. “It’s a nickname, silly,” she said, sliding half of her sandwich over to him._

_He passed his bag of apple slices her way. “But why do I need a nickname when I already have a name?”_

_“Because we’re friends,” she said simply._

_“We are?”_

_Her hand stopped halfway to her mouth, apple slice hanging between her fingers. “Of course we are. Didn’t you think we were?”_

_“I didn’t know. I don’t have a lot of friends.”_

_“No?”_

_“No.” He played with the paper the sandwich was sitting on. “Just you.”_

_“Even more reason you need a nickname then,” she decided, punctuated with a bob of her ponytail. “It proves we’re extra special super friends.”_

_“Okay,” he said, looking around the park and feeling odd warmth in his chest, “but then you need one too.”_

He hadn’t wanted to hang up; she had sounded so brittle, so different from the woman he knew. But he’d be able to move faster if he hung up, and he thought she needed him more than his voice. Besides, he had calls to make to arrange for some time off. It was short notice, but he so rarely used his vacation that he knew it was unlikely to be denied.

The sun was starting to appear over the horizon when he finally made it to the city. He walked past the unmanned reception desk and took the elevator to the basement. While he was still on the train, Darcy had sent a text saying her father had been moved to the morgue because they needed the bed. The thought of her sitting in a bland hallway while her father was in a metal drawer tore at him, but there was nothing to be done for it. He rounded the corner and saw her, sitting on the floor, legs splayed out.

“Darcy,” he said so softly it was almost a sigh. The hall was quiet and empty so she still heard him.

“Spence,” she choked out before she started to cry.

He slid down the wall next to her, dropping his bag on the floor. She leaned into him and he carefully wrapped his arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer and rubbing small circles on her arm. With anyone else he would have been wary of touching, but with Darcy that was never a problem. Maybe it was because they had been friends since they were five, but Darcy Lewis was always the exception.

(He knew why she was always the exception. The years of friendship were only part of that. But he wasn’t thinking about that. Not right now.)

They sat there for several minutes until she cried herself out. “Thank you,” she said, grabbing a tissue out of her pocket and wiping her nose. “I didn’t know who else to call, and I don’t know what strings you had to pull to get here, but thank you. It wasn’t fair of me to ask, but you came anyway.”

“Of course I came. It was no trouble. Don’t even think about it.” She shifted so she was no longer curled into him, but still pressed to his side. “I did some research on the train.”

“Of course you did,” she said with a small smile.

“I wanted to be able to help you figure out what’s next.”

“You’re good people, Dr. Reid,” she said, dropping her head back onto his shoulder.

“Are you ready to have this conversation?” he asked, keeping his head looking at the wall across from him. He didn’t trust himself to look at her, afraid he would start crying when she needed him to be strong.  “Or do you maybe want to find a diner and eat something? When _was_ the last time you ate?” He waited, but she didn’t answer, just hummed a bit. “If you need to think about it, it’s been too long. I learned that from listening to you complain about Jane.” That got a small laugh. He stood up and held his hand out to her. “C’mon. Let’s eat. Most things can’t be done until the city wakes up anyway.” He grabbed his bag. “I happen to know that three blocks from here is a twenty-four- hour diner that, according to reviews, has excellent French toast.” He grabbed her bag also.

“Spence,” she chided, bumping her shoulder into his, “you didn’t have to do that.”

“Darcy, you called because you needed help. Let me do this for you. It’s not an inconvenience or an imposition.”

“I’m emotionally wrought, not weak. I can carry my own bag.”

“You could, but I could too.”

“Jerk.”

“I’m sorry? I think you mispronounced gentleman.”

“Oh no, I’m certain I didn’t.”

“Now who’s the jerk?”

“You sound a bit grumpy. We should feed you to take care of that,” she said lightly as she grabbed her bag back from him. Spencer let out a small puff of laughter. If she was able to tease him, then maybe she would get through this.

They walked to the diner in relative silence. Spencer was taking Darcy’s lead here. If she didn’t want to talk, he wasn’t going to make her. He tried not to think about her hands occasionally brushing his as though she was thinking about and then chickening out of grabbing his hand and instead tried to observe her out of the corner of his eye, but all he saw was her frizzy halo of hair that had escaped from her braid and a small sag to her shoulders, which made sense given what was weighing on her.  When they slid into their booth, though, he saw just how tired she looked and realized that she probably hadn’t slept most of the night. He carefully rearranged his mental plan for what they needed to do.

“Stop profiling me,” she said, flipping through the menu.

“I’m not,” he protested. She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Really. I was just thinking about how long it’s been since I’ve see you.”

“You’re a terrible liar Spencer, but okay.”

“Fine. I was thinking that after this I need to get you to bed.” Her cheeks tinged pink at his words. “Don’t be embarrassed, you’ve been up too long for a good reason, but you need at least a few hours sleep to keep going.”

He thought she muttered “Not why I’m embarrassed,” but the waitress arrived and he decided to let it drop.

“It _has_ been a while since we last saw each other,” she said after the waitress filled their coffee mugs. She had ordered it with a pointed look at him, but he had wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Seven months,” he supplied.

“More specific.”

“Seven months, three days, twenty-two hours.”

She smiled. “I thought it felt longer than seven months.”

“You _were_ in Europe for two of those months with Jane on a speaking tour.”

“And you spent probably 90% of the rest of those five months, three days, twenty-two hours in places besides DC.” He tipped his head in acknowledgement of the truth. “It still sucks, though. I’ve missed you. It’s hard having a best friend you never see.”

“I thought Jane was your best friend.”

“She is. You both are. I refuse to pit you against each other. Just accept that I missed your face, Reid.” She lightly kicked at his foot under the table and then didn’t move it away.

“I missed you too,” he somehow got out over the electric buzzing he felt burning its way up his body from where her foot lightly touched his shin. He was so preoccupied that he almost missed the wistful look that flittered across her face.

“Let’s talk business,” she said as their plates were dropped in front of them. She reached for the syrup and began to pour. “What do I need to do?” The sticky stream only shook a little, betraying her discomfort at the topic.

“You need a funeral home,” he said, waiting for her to put down the syrup before picking it up himself. She had a habit of deciding she needed more and reaching for it again immediately. “Pretty much everything that happens starts by finding a professional.” He paused while he put the syrup back down and then looked at her. “Have you thought at all about what you...he wanted?”

“Cremation,” she said, eyes back down on her food. “It was this stupid thing he talked about, but I can’t get it out of my head.”

“I’m sure it’s not stupid.” She shrugged her shoulders. “You don’t have to tell me, but that’s good to know. We’ll have to find a mortician that can do cremation then.”

She stared at her plate for a beat and then cocked her head and looked at him. “You already have narrowed the list in your head, haven’t you?”

“Maybe.”

She smiled at her breakfast before looking back up at him. “That’s my Spencer.”

His heart fluttered at “my.”

***

Darcy was leaning heavily against him as they rode the elevator up to her floor. The phone conversation with the funeral director had been draining for her, but it was done. She had signed the paperwork at the hospital to release the body, and now she was spent. He was concerned she might not make it out of the elevator and into her room without needing to be carried.

“I can feel you worrying about me,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to attempt to carry me. I don’t want to snap your arms.”

“You would hardly…” he began to protest.

“They’re like little twigs..,” she continued.

“I am a field agent,” he huffed. “I had to pass a physical exam, you know.”

“Waivers,” she said as the door slid open. She pulled herself off of him, but he couldn’t help how his arm went around her waist to help keep her upright. “‘M not drunk,” she said halfheartedly.

“Here to help, remember?”

She didn’t protest further. “J, the door?” she said, and then he heard a gentle clicking.

“”Unlocked Miss Lewis.”

“You’re good people.”

“I’m not people, Miss Lewis.”

“You’re better than people,” she amended as Spencer opened the door. He slid her bag and his off his shoulder and onto the kitchen countertop as Darcy meandered toward what he assumed was the bedroom. He slipped off his shoes and took a look around. He hadn’t been to see her since she had moved into the Tower a year ago. Last time they had met up was in Vegas when her dad had first gotten sick. He wandered over to a shelf full of pictures and looked at one of them together.

_“Is all of college this awesome?”_

_Spencer’s lip quirked up a bit. “I don’t think that’s the reaction of most people at seeing the library.”_

_“_ One _of the libraries, Spence,” she sighed._

_“And I thought I was the nerd.”_

_“Wrong,” she said as she ran the tips of her fingers over the spines of the books around them. “I’m the nerd. You’re the genius. Big difference.”_

_“Is that so?”_

_“It is, genius-o-mine,” she said poking the tip of his nose with her finger. “Now c’mere and take a picture with me in the happiest place on campus.” She pressed herself to his side and held out the camera, smooshing her face against his. “Smile!” He didn’t need to be told; he already was._

“Spence?” she called from the open door. She was already into pajamas. “Will you stay with me? I don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course.” She turned as soon as she saw him coming to her and was in the bed by the time he stepped into the room. She patted the space next to her.

“C’mere,” she said, eyes already drifting shut. “So I know you’re here.”

He slid on top of the covers next to her and she curled an arm over his waist, asleep by the time her head hit the pillow. Her breath was tickling on the tiny bit of exposed skin where his sweater had ridden up when he sat down, but he dared not move. Instead, his hand went to her head, brushing some stray strands behind her ear. No doubt she would demand he rebraid it for her after she showered later. He smiled to himself a little while he remembered her teaching him.

_“Can’t you do it yourself?” he asked, eyes squinted in confusion._

_“Of course I can,” she said with a happy smile, “but this is not just for me. It’s for you too.”_

_“Oh really?”_

_“Yes really. You’re going to lure ladies with your magic fingers-not a euphemism by the way-and being able to braid their hair is really going to help seal the deal.”_

_“‘Seal the deal’? What does that mean?”_

_“You know, convince them you’re awesome. Look, you’re the one going off to high school slash college while I suffer through middle school. You need some sort of gimmick to get the girls.” Her face had been slightly pained when she mentioned him going to a different school._

_“I’m 12,” he said indignantly. “What am I going to do with a college girl?”_

_“I dunno? Kiss her?”_

_He wanted to scoff that there was never going to be a girl he wanted to kiss more than her, but he kept that closed up tight. “Okay,” he said letting out a calming breath. “Teach me.” She had smiled and started explaining the process to him, but all he was thinking about was whether or not his magic fingers and braiding skills would work on her._

His phone vibrating in his pocket pulled him out of his memories. He carefully pulled Darcy’s hand off him and moved back out to the living room, answering the call as he moved.

“Hello?” he whispered as he cleared the bedroom door, pulling it partially shut behind him.

“Reid,” Garcia chirped. “Why are you whispering?”

“Because Darcy’s sleeping.”

“Ohhhh.” Her voice had gone a little soft in a way that made him think the team had read into what he thought were safe, simple stories. “Why the sudden visit?”

“Her dad died last night.”

“Oh God. Reid.  I’m..I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine.” It was. She had no way of knowing he came for such a sad reason. “What did you need?”

“Oh, the team was just concerned about you. It’s not often you disappear for an emergency leave of absence.”

“She doesn’t have any other family, and I didn’t think she should have to do this alone.”

“Of course not. Absolutely. Take all the time you need. Let us know if you need anything.”

“Thanks Garcia.”

“Anytime Reid. Give her a hug for us. And, seriously, let me know if she needs anything. I’m good at helping with the death thing.”

“I will and I know.  Bye.”

“Later Reid.”

“Who are you?” a voice asked behind him. Spencer spun around to face a sandy haired man with a nose that looked like it had been broken more than once. Based on Darcy’s stories, he had an idea who this must be.

“Clint?” Spencer guessed.

“That’s me,” he said wandering over to the kitchen and inspecting the coffee pot. “And you’re Spencer.”

“Why did you ask who I was if you already knew?”

“Took me a second to remember your name.” His eyes flicked to the mostly shut bedroom door. “Don’t tell her I forgot. She’ll be pissed I forgot her boyfriend’s name.” _Boyfriend?_ “She didn’t say you were going to be visiting, though. I wouldn’t have dropped in if I had known.”

“Wasn’t planned,” he said offhandedly while trying to process being called Darcy’s boyfriend.

“I’m surprised there’s no coffee,” Clint said as he started prepping the pot himself. “She practically lives by this pot. Though she must have been busy all night if she’s still asleep.” He gave a suggestive wink and suddenly Spencer understood the implication.

“Oh, err…”

“Spencer?” Darcy called from the bedroom. “I thought you promised…” Her words dropped off. “Hey Clint.”

“Well look who finally woke up,” he said with a knowing smile. “Long night with your boyfriend’s surprise visit?”

Her face turned very pale, her eyes wide as they darted between him and Clint.

Her cheeks tinged pink as she said, “Errr, uhh. No.”

“Oh c’mon Darce. Why else would you just be waking up while he’s in your apartment.” He looked at Spencer, “Though he does look pretty dressed considering you just woke up.”

“Clint!”

“What? Really? You’re the one that likes to talk about how hot he is. It’s an obvious assumption.”

“It’s not like that,” she tried to growl, but it was weak.

“Then tell me what it’s like,” he taunted.

Darcy opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a small strangled sound before tears started running down her cheeks. The tears broke him out of the trance he had been in since Clint called him her boyfriend, and he went to her, placing his hand on her shoulder awkwardly. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. “Oh shit,” Clint cursed under his breath coming over. “I’m sorry D. I was just teasing.” He looked at Spencer with bewildered eyes.

“You didn’t know,” she hiccupped, looking up at Spencer.

“Do you want me to tell him?” he asked, guessing her thoughts. She nodded and put her head on his chest. He absently started petting her head as he turned to Clint. “Her dad died last night.”

“Oh Darce,” Clint said, wrapping himself over her back. Spencer thought it was awkward, but Darcy’s breathing slowly started to even out, so he let his own discomfort go for her. Finally Clint pulled away and Darcy did too. He felt like something was missing without her pressed against him. “Why didn’t you call?”

“I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t say the words again.” She flopped onto the couch and Spencer looked at his watch. She had slept for nearly two hours, but she probably wouldn’t sleep again soon. He walked over to the coffee that Clint had started and began to fix her a mug.

“Hey now,” Clint said sitting gently next to her. “I didn’t mean it as an accusation. I just meant that we would have been there for you.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Are still here for you. Whatever you need. You know that, right?”

Spencer handed her the mug and sat on the chair across from Darcy. “I know,” she said to Clint before taking a sip of her coffee. Her brow wrinkled a bit and she looked over at Spencer. “How’d you know about the hazelnut?”

“The syrup is in the cabinet by the coffeepot where the mugs are. It was in front of the other syrups and your mug from yesterday was still in the sink and smelled like hazelnut.” He paused for a moment, contemplating, before adding, “I mean, besides being your boyfriend.”

She turned pink and her mouth opened and closed a few times before she said, ”Yeah, that would explain it.”

Clint seemed oblivious to the bit of awkwardness that had crept up. “So is there anything you need Darce? Anything I can do?”

Darcy pulled her eyes off her mug where she had dropped them and turned to Clint. “Could you tell the others? Maybe tell them to give me some space?”

“Yeah sure,” he agreed readily. “But you know the team, they aren’t good at staying away.”

“Just do what you can.  Please?”

Clint pulled himself off the couch and patted her shoulder. “I’ll try.” He turned to Spencer. “Nice to finally meet you. She never shuts up about you.” And with that he strode out of the room.

The room was silent as the door shut. Darcy stared into the coffee mug a moment longer before taking a breath and looking up at him. “I’m sorry, Spence. They kept trying to set me up, and I didn’t know what to do, so I made them think I already had a boyfriend.”

“Why me?” he asked delicately.

She bit her lip. “We have history. It was easy.”

“Is that all?” he asked before he could stop himself. Apparently he wanted to hear her crush his dreams.

“Does there need to be more?” It wasn’t an answer, and he didn’t press again. Instead he got up and went toward the coffeepot to make himself a cup. “Are you mad?” she quietly asked his back.

“Mad?” he asked turning to her. “Why would I be mad?” He went to the couch, taking the seat Clint had vacated, his coffee thoughts abandoned. “I could never be mad.”

“You don’t mind?” she asked as she rubbed a finger over the handle of the mug.

“Of course not.” (Because he was a glutton for punishment.)

“You might not say that after you think about it a moment.”

He shot her a look. “Really? You’re accusing me of not thinking about something?”

“It’s just...if you’re here….I mean...UGH. I don’t know how to say this.”

“How to say what?”

She closed her eyes and he waited while she gathered her thoughts. “They all think we’re together. If you’re here, there are going to be expectations.”

“Oh,” he said. She was asking him to play a part for the next several days; to be her boyfriend to her friends. “Would that be hard for you?” he finally asked.

“Hard for me?” Her voice was a touch incredulous.

“I mean, you’ve already got a lot going on. It might be difficult to add this subterfuge.”

“It won’t be hard,” she said in a bit of a hurry,  “but it will take a little bit of work. We have to get our stories straight and remember to act like we’re together.”

“What have you already told them?”

She looked at him for a moment and then back into her mug. “I think we both need coffee to have this talk.” He plucked her mug from her hands after a small token noise of protest and went to the counter to refill her cup and make his own. “I could have done that.”

“Could have,” he agreed, “but I can too. Besides, isn’t that how a boyfriend would act?”

“Not necessarily.”

He threw a look over his shoulder. “Darcy, we need to talk about the quality of guys you date if they wouldn’t do something as simple as get your coffee for you during an emotionally trying time.”

“Dating you is emotionally trying?”

“I personally don’t think so, but you’re the one dating me, so you tell me.” She gave a short bark of laughter, and he smiled to himself before picking up the fresh mugs and placing them on the table in front of them, sitting beside her once more. “Well?” he said, trying to keep a straight face as he looked at her.

She knocked her shoulder into his. “Who knew you were so sassy?”

“You did.”

“I did,” she said with a small, satisfied smile. “Really and truly you’re okay with this?”

“How about you tell me what all ‘this’ is?”

She nodded and picked up her mug, taking a sip. “So, about nine months ago Natasha refused to relent with setting me up with guys from different parts of the building. And once or twice I went along with it because I thought that would be the end of it. But for some reason it wasn’t. She kept setting me up over and over again. And then I went to Vegas and saw you and it just sort of clicked. I could say I had seen you in Vegas - not a lie - and that we had gotten together.”

“And she believed you?”

“I, err, had to sell it a bit?”

“How’d you do that?”

She took a sip of her coffee and rolled her tongue over her teeth before answering. “I made it sound like it had never worked with those other guys because I had been pining after you and those dates just made me realize what I wanted. I had a ton of pictures of us together already and Jane just backed me up because she’s good people. So, yeah, Nat believed it.”

“So we’ve been together for seven months in their minds?” He leaned back into the couch as he thought about that. “How did you deal with the fact that we haven’t visited each other in that time?”

“I used trips I took to DC as a cover. You were in the field, but they didn’t know that. We also still talk plenty, so whenever you would call that added.”

“How long has it been since we allegedly saw each other?”

“Two months.” He nodded and sipped his coffee. He wasn’t sure what to think about all of this, but he knew that he was going to go along with it. Darcy gently pulled his mug from his hands and put it on the table with hers and leaned back into him. “I never meant for this to put you in an awkward position. It’s okay if you want me to come clean with them.”

He put his arm around her shoulder before it started to go numb from her leaning on it. “No. I’m doing this. It’s made your life here easier, and I’m not going to let that change. No one deserves to be harassed into dating people they don’t want to.”

“That’s sort of what I’m doing to you.”

“No it’s not. Now tell me what you need me to do.”

She curled into him a little more. “Is this okay?”

“I already said it was.”

“No, I mean this. Me leaning into you like this.”

“You’ve never asked before. Why should now be any different?”

“I’ve just noticed that sometimes you don’t like people touching you or being in your space.”

“And has that ever applied to you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you’ve been too nice to tell me to shove off.”

“It’s fine,” he said, his fingers playing with the end of what was still passing for a braid. “Besides, isn’t this how couples act anyway? Wouldn’t we touch?”

“I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable. You’re really helping me out here.”

“Darcy, this will be a lot easier if you stop worrying and apologizing and tell me what you want me to do.”

“First of all, nothing that you don’t want to do. You get to set the rules for yourself. I’ll just make suggestions about what might be a good plan.”

“I have veto power. Got it. Now stop stalling Lewis.”

“So, uhh, on the touching thing...we should probably do it a lot. If we’re really a couple that doesn’t get to see each other a lot, touching is probably something we would do.”

“What kind of touching?” She made an embarrassed noise in the back of her throat and curled her head into his shoulder. His fingers gently swept her braid to the side and rubbed at the nape of her neck. “Like this? Is this okay?”

“Yeah. This is good Spence.”

“So. Touching.” He wasn’t sure how to proceed with the discussion.

“Yeah.” She seemed uncomfortable and unsure too.

“Hugging?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure how often that will happen? Like we’ll probably be in each other’s company the whole time?” She twisted a little to look at him, “But maybe like a side hug thing, or an arm draped over my shoulder or around my waist?”

“I can do that.”

“What about kissing?” she asked in a rush. “Not like on the lips, but the cheek or something?”

His throat felt thick. “Okay,” he said hoarsely.

“Maybe it would be easier to have a phrase or something for when you’re uncomfortable so I know when to back off?”

“You’ll need one too.”

“Oh. Uh, yeah. I’m not as likely to be bothered as you.” She blushed a soft pink. “I’m just better with touch than you I mean. But okay, if that’s what you want.”

“It needs to be something that’s not a thing we would say often but we can work into everyday conversation.”

“What about like a pet name? We could use some sort of common pet name and it could be the signal.” She paused.  “Preferably one I don’t want ruined,” she muttered.

“Why would it be ruined?”

“Because it would always be associated with ‘stop touching Spencer’ in my mind.”

“That makes sense.”

She rested a hand over his heart and her fingers traced small circles and yawned. “How long until we have to be at the funeral home?”

He looked down at his watch. “Not for another five hours.”

“Is it okay if we go back to bed? We can pick names later.”

“Of course. I’ll wake you up when it’s time to go.”

“I said we,” she said, unfurling from his lap and holding out her hands to him. “I might have been up all night, but so were you once I woke you up. And you probably didn’t sleep when I did earlier.” She reached for his hands and tugged.

“Do you want me to stay…”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence. Don’t fight me, please. I’m too tired to argue about it.”

He looked at her face and noticed how tight it looked. She was full of tension that she shouldn’t have to be dealing with on top of what had happened during the night. He let her pull him up. “Okay. Lead the way.”

She kept her fingers laced with his as she made her way back to the bedroom. “The bathroom’s over there if you want to change,” she said, gesturing with their joined hands.

“Are you planning on coming in with me or….?”

“Oh!” She flushed pink. “Sorry. I’ll, uh, let you do whatever.”

“I’m going to go grab my bag and be right back. You need anything?”

She nodded her head. As he walked back to the kitchen to grab his bag, he felt the pleasant tingle of her fingers on his like phantom digits haunting his hand. He went into the bathroom to change into some pajama pants and a t-shirt. They had camped out in the yard a few times when they were young and crashed in dorms and apartments together. They had even shared a bed before. But this, somehow this was charged with so much more. If he wasn’t careful, his heart might never be the same after this. He stepped out of the bathroom and steeled himself for whatever was about to happen.

***

He awoke first to hair tickling his nose. He tried to swat it away, but his arm was pressed down by a weight. He cracked his eyes open to see Darcy’s hair had further escaped from the braid. She was curled up against his arm, her own arm slung over his chest. He used his free hand to push the hair off his face and behind her ear. It didn’t stay. He stared down at her wondering if he should just stay there or wake her up. He wasn’t sure what time it was or how long until the alarm would go off. He decided to stay put. She needed the sleep, even if it was only five more minutes. Besides, when she woke up it would essentially be game on. He would be her boyfriend, and this was the last bit of time he would have to brace his heart against believing the lie.

He took a breath and looked down at her again, memorizing the relaxed lines of her face, so different from how she had looked since the moment he met her in the hospital hallway. And then he locked that image away. He could remember it again when he was alone in DC, but for now it would be too much. He pulled his eyes away from her and stared off at the wall. He could do this. He had to.

Moments later the alarm went off, and he rolled away from her to turn it off. She stretched sleepily next to him. “Hey Spoon,” she yawned. “Do I have time for a shower?”

“As long as you take less than half an hour, yes.”

“Half an hour total or…?”

“Half an hour for the shower. I also gave you 25 minutes to get ready.”

She threw her arms around him. “You know me so well,” she said, finishing the hug and taking off for the shower.

A smile played on his lips while he quickly changed. The shower was still running when there was a knock at the door. He paused for a moment before deciding to answer it. He pulled the door open, and on the other side was a broad, tall man. “Hi?” Spencer said.

“Oh! Uh, hi,” the guy said awkwardly. If Spencer looked beyond the beard, he was certain he was looking at Steve Rogers. “Is Darcy around?”

“She’s in the shower. Maybe I can help you?”

“I’m sorry, but are you Spencer?”

“I am…”

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” he said, sticking out his hand. “I’m Steve. I’m not sure she’s mentioned me…”

“She has,” he said, shaking Steve’s hand. “So what can I do for you?”

“Oh! Uh, Darcy and I normally spend her late lunch watching Real World Seattle? I, uh, hope you don’t mind that we do that. I mean, Darcy’s a swell girl, but I would never make a move, I mean, she’s got a boyfriend and…”

“It’s fine,” Spencer said, somewhat amused that Steve Rogers thought he might somehow be stepping on his toes. “But, didn’t Clint tell you?”

“That you’re visiting? No. Darcy didn’t either actually.”

“It wasn’t planned,” he said just when he realized it was kind of rude to make Steve continue to stand in the hall. “Do you want to come in for a moment?”

“Sure,” Steve said, stepping into the room. “So was Clint supposed to tell me you were visiting?”

“Kind of,” Spencer hedged. The shower had stopped. “I’m here because Darcy’s dad passed away last night.”

Steve’s eyes widened. “I knew he was sick, but I didn’t know.”

“She didn’t either. He was getting better.” He paused and listened to make sure she was still in the bathroom. He had a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate the sudden appearance of another person in the living room when she was in a towel (not that he was thinking about that). “She asked Clint to let everyone know she needed a little time. She’s been handling it pretty well, but I’m not sure that’s going to continue. We’re getting ready to meet with the funeral director.”

Steve laid a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a good friend. Boyfriend too, from what she says, but that’s because you’re a good friend. She talks about you a lot. It’s good you’re here for her now. The only other person she talks about that even comes close to you is her dad. Let us know if you need anything; if she needs something.”

“Thanks Steve. I’ll be here as long as she needs me.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that. She might not let you leave,” he said with a smile before turning back to the door. “Wish we could have met under better circumstances.”

“Me too,” he replied as Steve opened the door and left.

“Was someone here?” Darcy called from the bedroom.

“Steve,” he called back. “He left though. He’s a nice guy.”

“Yeah, he is.”

“Why not him?”

“Huh?”

“Why not date him? He seems like a nice guy.”

“Oh!” she squeaked. “He’s, uhm, not my type.”

Spencer looked back at the closed door. “But he’s so nice, and seems to like you, and he’s, objectively, very handsome. I’d date him.”

Darcy burst out laughing. “I’ll let him know that. But Steve’s just...Steve. He’s a friend, not boyfriend material.” He paused at her words. _A friend….not boyfriend material_. He needed to remind himself of that. It didn’t matter what they were pretending because it was just that- pretend. “Spencer?” He looked over at her. “Sorry, you just suddenly seemed stuck in a thought.”

“I was, but it’s fine,” he said, putting on a smile. “Do you want me to braid your hair?” he offered.

“Do we have time?”

“Depends how fancy you want it.”

“Did you learn more braids and not tell me?” she asked with mock outrage. He shrugged. “I absolutely demand a fancy braid, but later. Just a quick French braid for now.” She sat down on the floor in front of the couch and he made quick work of her hair, fingers not lingering any longer than necessary. There wasn’t time, and she wouldn’t appreciate it. There was no one to put on a show for in her apartment. “Thanks,” she said hopping up, her hand briefly resting on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and pushed down the feelings that were determined to bubble up with her every casual touch. “Let me grab my purse and we can go.”

***

Meeting with the funeral director had been difficult. Darcy had made all the preparations she needed. It wasn’t much because there would be no service since it was just her. Even though she had only a few details to look over and discuss, it had been hard. When she had gone down to say a final goodbye (something she insisted on doing alone), he had put in a call to Garcia.

“Boy Wonder! How goes it?”

“About as expected.”

Penelope made a sad clucking sound. “Give her a hug for me, okay?”

“I will, but there’s also something I need you to do for me.”

“Name it.”

“I need a phone number, direct line, cell phone preferably to any of the Avengers.”

She let out a low whistle. “That’s quite the request. Why not just ask Darcy?”

“Because I don’t want her to know.”

“What are you up to?”

He looked over to the door Darcy had disappeared behind. “She has no one to grieve with. There aren’t going to be any services. I was going to ask them to have a dinner for her celebrating him so she’s not alone.”

“Spence! That’s so sweet.”

“She needs time, but tomorrow night should be about when she’s ready to not be alone anymore.”

“I’m on it. I’ll hit you up when I have something.”

“Thanks Garcia,” he said just as the door opened.

“Everything okay?” Darcy asked. Her eyes were red, but the industrial waterproof mascara she had joked about earlier had held up.

“Yeah, of course,” he said, slipping his phone in his pocket.

“What’d Penelope want?”

“Oh, she just was seeing if we needed anything. She also demanded I give you a hug from her.”

Darcy opened her arms and stepped closer. “Get to it then, ya git,” she said, her voice a touch watery. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, rubbing small circles on her back while she cried into his shirt. Slowly her tears stopped, and she pulled away. He kept his arm around her shoulder.

“Food?”

“Food,” she agreed. “You have a place in mind?”

“I saw a hotdog cart on the corner up the block.”

“Lead the way,” she said, wrapping her arm around his waist. He could get used to this, but he knew he shouldn’t.

An hour later they were back at the tower, riding the elevator up to Darcy’s room. “So names,” she said as the elevator made its ascent.

“Names?”

“For when you feel uncomfortable,” she clarified. “Safe words, so to speak.”

“Oh, yeah,” he said. She had been holding his hand since they left the hotdog cart and the warmth of it was still distracting him. “Babe?” he offered. “It doesn’t feel like a term I would usually use, but is fairly common so it wouldn’t seem out of place?”

“Yeah,” she agreed, her thumb tracing a small circle that kept trying to pull his focus. “That could work for both of us.” The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened to reveal what looked like lab floors and a rumpled man. He took a look at them, eyes lingering a bit on Spencer, before stepping on. “Hi Bruce,” Darcy greeted.

“You’ll notice I’m leaving the lab at a reasonable hour,” he said with a slightly teasing tone.

“I appreciate that you’re not totally unreasonable,” Darcy agreed, slowly melting into Spencer’s side. “Bruce, this is Dr. Spencer Reid. Spencer, this is Dr. Banner.”

Spencer appreciated that Dr. Banner did not reach out to shake hands, but instead nodded at him. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Darcy must be thrilled you were able to visit. She talks about you constantly.”

“Wait,” Darcy said, a flush running up her neck as she cut Bruce off. “Didn’t Clint find you?”

“No? Was he supposed to?” Bruce asked, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Maybe he called? I’ve had my phone off all day.” Apparently Clint had sent a text because when Bruce looked down at his phone and saw the message, he sagged a bit and turned sad eyes on Darcy. “I’m so sorry,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “If there’s anything I can do, let me know, okay? You take care of us, so let us take care of you.”

Darcy gave a soft smile. “Thanks Bruce. Spence’s been doing a great job so far, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

Bruce gave him a kind smile. “I was happy to hear you two had finally gotten together. I had wondered how long it would take her to realize what she could have with you.”

Darcy turned bright red as the door to the elevator opened and Bruce stepped out. Spencer squeezed her hand and gently kissed her head. “Sounds like you really convinced them.”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

The rest of their short ride was silent, but she never let go of his hand, instead tugging him into her apartment and only letting go once they were inside and the door was shut.

“Tomorrow we have a morning appointment with you father’s lawyer to go over the will. We’ll need to be out of here by nine thirty to get there on time.”

“Yeah,” she was a little distracted. “I’ll set the alarm for eight. That should be enough time for you to do a fancy braid, right?”

“Plenty of time.” He smiled at her. Something was bothering her, and he didn’t think it was just her father. Whatever it was, she was determined to ignore it, so he let it go too, but thought she might need some time alone to figure out whatever it was. “I’m going to shower,” he said, heading toward the bathroom. “I’ll make you some hot chocolate when I get out.”

_“This is special,” Darcy said solemnly. “Hot chocolate is the cure for when things make your insides feel tight even though nothing is squeezing. You have to do it from scratch, though. That makes it special.” Spencer nodded, his cheeks sticky from dried tears._

_“I thought he would come back,” he whispered._

_“He might,” Darcy said with a no nonsense tone, “but that doesn’t change that right now you need magical hot chocolate.”_

_She had been pulling out all the ingredients as she spoke to him, and she turned to put the milk on the stove. He wondered if her dad cared that she was using the stove. His mom didn’t let him, even though he thought 7 was definitely old enough. He knew how not to get burned._

_“You know, we kind of make up one family now. I don’t have a mom and you don’t have a dad. Together we have both.”_

She didn’t smile, but her eyes crinkled and he knew that the idea cheered her up. “You better be in pajamas by the time I get out. You know it tastes better that way.” It was something she used to tell him, and this time she did smile. Mission accomplished; he went to take a shower. When he got out, he realized he had forgotten his bag in the bedroom. He wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door. The cool air rushed in and raised a few goosebumps on his skin. He heard a sharp intake of breath and looked up to see Darcy looking at him wide eyed.

“Sorry,” he said, his skin flushing. “I forgot my bag.”

“Oh!” she said more like a peeping sound than a word. The bag was on the chair next to where she was standing, so she grabbed it and handed it to him. Their fingers brushed and she practically dropped the bag. Luckily he had already started to curl his fingers on the strap and he caught it. “I’ll, um, just be out there,” she mumbled and then bolted into the living room.

Spencer cursed himself for making her uncomfortable. Of course she had seen him without a shirt before when they had gone to the beach, but with the towel it probably felt more intimate and inappropriate. Hopefully she would forgive his small faux pas. He shut the bathroom door and changed quickly, running his fingers through his hair to get the tangles out and throwing on his glasses instead of messing with contacts again.

“Are you ready for hot chocolate?” he asked as he entered the room.

“Yeah,” she replied, almost shyly.

“Excellent,” he said making his way to the kitchen and throwing open cabinets. While he hadn’t been in this kitchen, he had a pretty good idea where Darcy would store everything he needed, and frowned. “Bear, I don’t see any cocoa.”

She groaned. “That’s right! I ran out when I made brownies last week.” She paused and then said, “There’s a kitchen on the common floor. I bet there’s cocoa there.”

“Tell me how to get there.”

“I can go with you,” she said, but it was weak.

“I promise I can handle it myself,” he said with a teasing smile. “I won’t let the Avengers intimidate me.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “Jarvis? Can you get Spence to the common room?”

“Of course Miss Lewis.”

“If you just take the elevator Jarvis will get you to the right floor and it should be obvious from there.”

“I’ll be right back then,” he said, turning to leave. Darcy stopped him by wrapping her arms around him in a quick, tight hug.

“Thanks for always being the best,” she said as she let him go. “Also, if you look behind the cocoa in the pantry, you should find the really good cocoa in the back.”

“Got it.” He smiled as he turned to head out the door.

Like she had said, once he was in the elevator, it had started moving up. While he stood there, he suddenly had a thought. “Jarvis?” he asked.

“Yes Dr. Reid?”

“Would you be able to put me in touch with one of the Avengers? I’d like to have a surprise memorial dinner for Darcy’s dad tomorrow night.”

“Several of them are already in the kitchen.”

“Great,” he said, mostly to himself without much enthusiasm. The door slid open and several eyes turned to him. Clint did a little chin lift of acknowledgement from atop the counter where he was sitting, Steve smiled from his bar stool, and someone that could only be Natasha looked at him with cool, calculating eyes.

“Do you need something Spencer?” Steve asked as he got closer.

“Darcy’s out of cocoa,” he said, which was true, but he was also stalling a bit about the dinner as he continued to feel Natasha assessing him. “She said I could find some up here.”

“Oh! Are you guys making hot chocolate?” Clint almost seemed to be drooling at the thought.

“Yeah. It was a bit of a rough day. We saw the funeral director and she said her goodbyes.” Clint immediately looked shamed for thinking about the hot chocolate. “Which brings me to a request, actually,” he said, looking nervously between the three.

“Sure, what do you need?” Steve answered gently.

“All she has is me to mourn with, and that’s what she said she wanted, but I thought maybe she might feel differently tomorrow. I was wondering if you all might feel comfortable throwing a memorial dinner?” He didn’t give them time to answer. “I could get my friend to run by my place and scan some pictures for you guys. I was just thinking something small with her favorite food and friends to remind her that even though you didn’t know him, you know her and care.”

He waited for two breaths before Natasha said, “We can do that, Dr. Reid,” as she slid closer to him, reaching behind him and opening the cabinet. “The cocoa’s in there.”

He held her look for a moment and then asked as he turned to grab the cocoa, “Did I pass your inspection?” He pushed the cocoa in the front to the side to find, just as Darcy said, the good stuff in the back.

“Not yet,” Natasha said as he turned back around. He raised an eyebrow. “I won’t know until I see you together,” she shrugged.

“Tash!” Clint chided.

Spencer just looked between the two of them before saying, “Well, I guess you’ll get to tomorrow.” He straightened his shoulders and calmly walked back to the elevator, more determined than before that he would be the perfect boyfriend and keep Darcy from dealing with whatever Natasha was hoping to accomplish.

It must have shown on his face when he walked in because Darcy looked up and asked, “What happened?”

“I ran into Natasha.” Her eyes grew large and he rushed to reassure her. “It’s nothing bad, she just said she isn’t done determining what she thinks about me. Don’t worry. I won’t fail you now.” He took the cocoa over to the stove and started making the hot chocolate. As the milk heated, he felt Darcy’s hand on his back, scratching up and down.

“I never thought you’d fail me,” she whispered into his shirt, and his hand stuttered as it stirred.

“You shouldn’t need to worry. You should be able to live your life without her gauging your relationships by her standard. You should be able to date who you want when you want, and she should leave you alone.” His hands were a bit more firm with the whisk than necessary as he continued. “I am going to be the best fake boyfriend you’ve ever had, and she’s not going to be able to tell the difference.” He was certain in his conviction, but also worried for himself once this was all over.

“Spencer, I…” she trailed off and then started again. “That’s a lot to ask of you.”

“You didn’t ask. I offered.” She rested her head against his back, her arms around his waist, and his hand stilled as the cocoa finished. He turned to grab the mugs and she let go, but stayed close. He handed her a mug and she leaned back against the counter, holding the mug with both hands close to her face. The air felt thick around them, and though he didn’t believe in magic, he didn’t want to break the spell.

They drank their cocoa in silence, and soon Darcy was yawning into the bottom of her mug. He gently plucked it from her fingers and waved her off to bed while he washed the dishes. Once she was out of the room he had a moment to really consider what he had committed himself to. While he didn’t regret his choice, he worried for his heart when this was over. He had been in love with her for far longer than he knew what that meant, and he would do anything for her, even if it crushed him in the end. At least he knew she wouldn’t take what he was about to do lightly. She wouldn’t wave it away like an annoying fly. He didn’t know if he wished she would; if it would be easier in the long run.

He dried his hands and headed to the bedroom. Darcy was already burrowed under the covers and halfway to being asleep. He quickly brushed his teeth and climbed in next to her. This time it was easier, and it both terrified and excited him. Darcy rolled into him and cuddled into his side, and he was certain he fell asleep with a small smile on his face.

When the alarm went off, being curled around each other wasn’t the surprise it had been the previous morning. He had flicked off the alarm and simply gone about his morning like it was the most natural thing in the world to wake up next to Darcy, the smell of her shampoo lingering on his skin. She hopped in the shower and he quickly got dressed, turning on the coffee maker and shooting a text to Garcia, asking her to send some pictures to the email address Clint had texted him in the night. Just as the coffee finished, Darcy came out of the bathroom, hair hanging in damp tendrils around her face. He smiled and placed a steaming mug at the table for her, and she immediately grinned, sitting down and pulling the mug up to her face.

“If you can sit still for 20 minutes, I can braid your hair.”

“Can I drink my coffee while you braid?”

“Of course.”

“Let’s do this then. I’ve been waiting to see what magic your fingers will be this time.”

He quickly got to work making a crown of braids that he had thought would look lovely on her when he had seen it in a magazine Garcia had in her apartment last time he had visited. His hands worked quickly and efficiently, and though he had not attempted this on anyone yet, her hair came together just like the picture he had seen. He had worked in companionable silence, and when he was done, he tapped her on the shoulder. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned on the camera to take a look at his work.

“Spencer,” she breathed, “you made me look beautiful.”

“No, I just did your hair,” he said, his chin hovering over her shoulder, looking at her camera eyes.

“Stay there,” she said with soft eyes as she reframed the camera to take a picture of them together. She took one, and then rearranged the phone to get a different angle. This time he turned to kiss her temple just as she took the picture.

“There,” he said, “that should help next time someone wants to question you about us.” He realized her cheeks were a rosy pink and quickly added, “I hope I didn’t overstep.”

“No, of course not. It was perfect,” she said, eyes back down on her phone. “We should get going though so we won’t be late.”

The walk to the lawyer’s office was quiet in a way that made Spencer worried that Darcy hadn’t been truthful when she had said it was fine. His mind kept replaying the kiss, and he couldn’t figure out why he had done it. It had just felt right, and he had acted. Now he had possibly screwed things up. His mind finally let up when they arrived and were seated in front of the lawyer.

“Hi Darcy,” the older man was saying gently. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

“Thanks Greg,” she said, eyes welling up again just a little.

“There’s not a whole lot for us to go over. You are the sole beneficiary of your father’s estate. There’s some paperwork to sign to get all of that moving, but otherwise, all I have for you are these,” he held several envelopes out to Darcy.

“What are these?”

“Letters, I would guess,” he said. “But not all of them are for you.”

Darcy flicked through the envelopes and then plucked one out and handed it over to Spencer. He took the envelope from her, surprised that there was one for him. He looked at Mr. Lewis’ writing on the envelope before sliding it into his pocket to read later. Darcy was going over the legal documents with Greg, and he listened, draping his arm over her shoulders when he saw her start to tear up again. She shot him a grateful smile and then turned back to the papers in front of her.

Greg had been thorough, going over everything she would need to do to do over the coming days and weeks as the process of death took its course, and it was several hours before they were back in her apartment. His phone had been vibrating in his pocket for the last fifteen minutes, but he hadn’t checked it yet.

“You can check your phone now,” Darcy said, slightly amused. “It must be important since it’s been nonstop.”

“It’s probably just the team asking for a consult on whatever case they’re on,” he said, but nevertheless pulled his phone out of his pocket. There was a series of texts from Clint saying they were good to go at 4. Spencer looked at the clock. That was just half an hour. Good. The rest were from Garcia, which he didn’t bother looking at yet.

“So?” she asked.

“It’s just a confirmation.”

“Confirmation of what?”

“Something I, well, not _planned_ , but put in motion, for you.”

“Spencer….” she said, a touch of warning in her voice, “what did you do?”

“I did very little. I asked others to do it all. You might want to put on something more comfortable, though.”

“How comfortable?”

“However comfortable you like. I just thought that your feet might hurt and that you might want to get out of that suit jacket.”

“Dr. Reid,” she said, her tone flirtatious, “are you trying to get me out of my clothes?”

“Only if that’s what you want,” he answered, not taking her bait. She laughed, and he enjoyed the sound that he hadn’t heard enough of over the past few days. “But really, change or don’t. It’s your choice.”

She kept eye contact as she flicked off her shoes and dropped her suit jacket on the floor. She pulled down the side zipper on her skirt and let it drop to the floor too. He kept his eyes locked on hers, though his periphery vision told him that her shirt was barely skimming the top of her thighs. Her fingers undid the buttons of her shirt as her eyebrow quirked up in a challenge and she slid the fabric off her shoulders and down her arms. His eyes never left hers, though they kind of wanted to.

“And if I feel most comfortable like this?”

“That’s your choice,” he said, pleased that his voice didn’t waver. “But I should tell you that you won’t be with just me.”

“And if I decided to stay in my underwear?”

“Your choice to do so.”

“You wouldn’t stop me?”

“Not unless I thought you didn’t actually want to be in your underwear.”

“Even as my boyfriend?” Her voice caught just a touch on the last word.

“As your boyfriend I would probably want that only for me, but it’s still your choice.”

“Would probably?”

“Hard to say since I’m only pretending.”

She broke eye contact. “Right.” She picked up her clothes and turned back to the bedroom. “I’ll be right back then.”

He nodded, not certain what had just happened, but certain that he had missed something. The air was different; charged. It was like there was an ocean of static between him and Darcy’s now closed bedroom door.

Ten minutes later she came out, dressed in jeans and an oversized sweater. With her hair still in the crown of braids, she looked like she belonged in a coffee commercial, curled up on a leather sofa, softly lit while hugging a steaming mug between two hands, a book open at her side. But her demeanor was no longer warm and playful like it had been earlier.

“Will this do?”

“You look lovely.”

“But is it good for whatever we’re doing?”

“It is because it’s what you want to wear.”

She smiled, but quickly dropped it. “Do we have far to go?”

“Just upstairs.” She nodded. He held out his hand to her. “Shall we?” She took it and they were silent on the short ride up to the common room.

When the elevator door opened there was soft music playing. In the corner was a series of easels with pictures of Darcy’s dad and small, tasteful floral arrangements. Everyone was dressed casually, and he could smell the curry laid out on the table. No one crowded them as they entered, and he squeezed Darcy’s hand before leading her over to the picture display.

“You did all this?” she asked, her voice wet.

“No, they did it,” he said, gesturing to the rest of the room. “I just asked them to.”

“How do you always know just the right thing?” she asked as she ran her fingers lovingly over a photo.

“I don’t. I just try to do what I think you’ll want or need and hope you’ll forgive me if I do it spectacularly wrong.”

She huffed a small laugh and slowly drew him over to Natasha and Clint who were looking at one of the displays. Clint leaned in for a hug, and Spencer dropped her hand so she could fully accept it. He was somewhat surprised to see Natasha pull her in once Clint was done. The woman whispered something in her ear that had Darcy laughing as she pulled away.

She slipped her hand back into Spencer’s as she spoke. “Thank you guys. I didn’t know how much I needed this.”

Natasha looked at their intertwined hands and he felt the need to be possessive, to force her to believe in them. He leaned over and kissed Darcy’s hair, sticking closer to her than he had been. She looked up at him and offered a small smile, and for a terrible second he worried she was going to call him “babe,” but instead she leaned into his side.

“Hey kid, I’m sorry for your loss,” Clint said while scratching the back of his neck. “I’m not great at this stuff, but if you need something, you got it.”

“Even if I want the good pizza and a chick flick night?” she asked with a gleam in her eye.

“Yes, but this is not an indefinite offer,” he said with a wink. “Err, sorry,” he said to Spencer. “That’s just how we are….”

Spencer gave him an amused smile. “It’s fine. Thanks for helping set this all up.”

“Your friend Penelope was very helpful,” Natasha said, calculating eyes on him.

“She sent you the pictures then?”

“She did.” Her voice sounded like her words held a secret meaning, but he couldn’t figure out what.

“Penelope helped?” Darcy asked, drawing him out of his examination of Natasha’s tone.

“I had her scan some pictures from my apartment.”

“We’ll have to call her tonight and thank her.”

“Go say hi to Tony,” Natasha nudged. “It’s killing him to wait, but Pepper threatened him”

Darcy laughed and took her advice.

“Finally!” Tony said with a put upon sigh. “Everyone’s met your boyfriend except me! I’m starting to think I’m not your favorite!”

Pepper cut him off by saying, “We’re very sorry for your loss, Darcy. If there’s anything you need, anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“But ask after you introduce us,” Tony cut in. “Not that I need introduction.”

“No, everyone is aware of your ego. Tony, Pepper, this is Spencer. Spence, this is Tony and Pepper.”

“Yes yes, now tell me why you think you’re worthy of our Darcy. Inquiring minds want to know.”

“Tony!” Pepper chastised.

“I’m not,” Spencer answered. “But she thinks I am, and that’s what matters.”

“Slick answer, kid,” Tony grumbled as Darcy snuggled into his side. “Fine, fine. I approve.”

“Because I needed _your_ approval,” Darcy said with an eye roll.

“Hey, I just want what’s best for you.”

“And now you agree that’s Spencer?” she pressed.

“He’s certainly better than any of the others,” Tony begrudgingly agreed. “But nothing but the best for my lab minion!”

“I’m Jane’s minion.”

“But you bring me food and make me sign things.”

“Because I’m Pepper’s minion too.”

Tony pouted, but perked up when Pepper kissed his cheek. “Come on, Tony,” she said, pulling him away. “Darcy needs to see the others too.”

Darcy squeezed and then dropped his hand as the couple walked away. “I’m going to run to the bathroom. Grab me a drink?”

Spencer nodded, and she walked away. As he walked, he pulled out his phone to let Garcia know they’d be calling later, and he saw all of the still unread texts from her. He opened them up to find a storm of demands for answers and exclamation points with an attached picture. It was Darcy’s instagram and it was the picture of him kissing her temple after braiding her hair that morning. She had captioned it. “He’s the best and I’m #lucky that he’s all mine.” Spencer stared at the picture and took in how content Darcy looked. Was it possible…?

“Everything okay?” Steve asked, startling him out of his thoughts.

“Err, yes.”

“That’s a cute picture,” Steve said, motioning toward his phone. “You can really see how much you care for each other.” He gave a small sigh. “I think I might do a drawing of it for her birthday. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her as happy as she is when she’s with you.” Steve’s face was earnest and wistful.

“Making her happy is all I want,” Spencer said lamely as he tried to process what his brain refused to acknowledge.

“You’re good at it,” Steve said dropping his hand on his shoulder. “Just look at how she looks at you from across the room.”

Spencer’s eyes sought her where she was speaking with Dr. Banner, she looked up at him when she felt his eyes on her, and her smile was like the sun banishing the clouds. He let what he wanted to be true begin to take hold in his brain.

“You get a gal to look at you like that…” Steve said, pulling Spencer from his thoughts.

“Yeah,” Spencer agreed, understanding what Steve hadn’t voiced. He turned and grabbed a drink for Darcy and nodded a farewell to Steve as he took off for Darcy with renewed purpose. Bruce smiled at him as he joined their conversation, handing Darcy her drink and then snaking his arm around her waist. She let out a surprised meep as his fingers pressed lightly into her side and tickled her a bit.

“I was just telling Darcy how fortunate it was that you weren’t in the field and could be here with her,” Bruce said, his eyes twinkling a bit as he took in Spencer’s antics.

“It was, but I would have still come even if I had been in the field.”

“Oh I wouldn’t have expected-” Darcy started to say.

“I would have come no matter what,” he said, cutting her off. “I would have come because you needed me, and I love you.” He kissed her temple as she blushed a hot red and turned to stare up at him. He felt frozen, trapped by her eyes and how she was going to take his declaration. They must have stayed like that a moment too long as Bruce cleared his throat and broke their gaze.

“I’m just going to go….”

“Right. Bye,” Darcy stammered as she looked back at Spencer. “Spoon?”

“Yes?” His voice was barely a breath.

“Darcy!” Clint called from across the room. The fragile thread of something between them shattered. “Come start us off. Everyone’s afraid to eat before you.”

“We can’t have that,” she called back. She took his hand and squeezed it before dragging him with her to the kitchen. ~~~~

The group had set up the dinner to be more of a buffet without a family sit down, so they filled their plates and sat at the bar where he had spoken to Clint, Steve, and Natasha the night before. She pulled her chair close to his and pressed softly into his side. His hand found hers, and they stayed intertwined while she ate. Everyone came over to chat, but Spencer had a hard time focusing on the conversations. Every time her thumb traced a circle or she leaned into him some more, or she smiled at him; he lost the thread of conversation as his mind whirred with possibilities. After an hour and a half Darcy pulled him over to a corner.

“This was really great, but I think I’m ready to go now.”

He gave a quick, gentle kiss to her hairline, and then without moving away said, “Okay, let’s go then.”

“I, uh, just have to say bye to everyone,” she said, flustered.

“After you,” he said, still not pulling away.

“Right, yeah. Okay,” she said, but it was another beat before she started moving again.

Steve had kindly wished them a good night and asked Darcy to let him know if she needed anything. Clint told her she had a month to collect on his pizza and a movie, and Natasha had pulled her into a fierce hug and whispered in her ear, making Darcy giggle yet again. Spencer was surprised when she then placed her arm around his shoulder and leaned in close, her voice barely a whisper. “Inspection passed, but I will hurt you if you hurt her.”

“I think it’s much more likely to go the other way,” he said, pulling away. Natasha gave him an appraising look but said nothing more.

“What’s more likely to go the other way?” Darcy asked as they made their way over to Bruce, Tony, and Pepper.

“Nothing, just letting her know her message was received.”

Darcy looked like she wanted to press further, but they were in front of the last people they needed to say goodbye to, so she turned her attention to thanking them and bidding them goodnight. Just as they were finally leaving, Tony called out, “A word, Dr. Reid?”

Spencer looked at Darcy who shrugged. “I’ll meet you back in your room.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”

“I think it will go quicker this way. Besides, you’re tired. I can find my way back down.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure.” Darcy gave a small wave to the group and then went to the elevator alone. Spencer watched the door close and then turned back to Tony. “What can I do for you?”

Stark led him over to the empty bar area and wandered behind it. “What do you drink?”

“Whatever you’re having, I guess,” he said, assuming that he wasn’t going to get out of this as quickly or as easily as he hoped if drinks were going to be involved. Tony nodded and pulled out two tumblers, serving a generous portion in one, and a more reasonable portion in the other. He slid the fuller glass toward Spencer.

“Call it intuition,” Stark said before taking a swig from his glass. He waited while Spencer sniffed what must have been very good Scotch and took a sip, letting the liquid slowly burn down his throat. It must have cost a fortune because it didn’t taste foul like he expected. “So when are you going to tell Darcy you want to actually be her boyfriend?”

Spencer was glad he had waited until he had stopped swallowing to ask, because surely he would have choked otherwise. “Err, we are?”

“No, you want everyone to think you are, but you’re not.”

“Does Natasha know?”

“I have no idea what that woman does and does not know, but I’d guess no, she doesn’t know you’re a lying liar who lies. She would be having fun with it if she did.”

Spencer took another sip from his glass, unsure how to respond, but certain Tony would fill the silence. But he didn’t. Spencer waited a moment longer before saying, “I don’t know what to say.”

“I thought you’d demand to know how I knew.”

“I thought you’d trip over yourself to tell me.”

Tony chuckled and sipped his drink. “Darcy is a good person.  I like her. A lot. And when I like someone, I get to know all I can about them. It’s...a thing. I just like to be prepared. So trust me when I say, I knew none of the guys Romanoff set her up with were going to work out.”

“How could you know that?”

“If all-American Steve, who would moon over her given half a chance wasn’t going to catch her eye, John from accounting certainly wouldn’t either.”

“I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t they catch her eye?”

Tony stalled with another sip, and Spencer followed suit, finding he was actually enjoying the taste.

“She was already in love with someone else.”

Spencer felt the blood drain from his face. She was already in love with someone? He took another healthy sip from his glass. How could he have been so stupid? How had he not realized? Of course she knew how to play the game; she was pretending he was the man she actually loved. He had been blinded by hope...

“It was you, you idiot,” Stark said, apparently amused by Spencer’s miniature freak out. “You, Dr. Reid, are all she ever wanted. And I _thought_ that it had finally happened seven months ago.” Spencer sipped his drink, refusing to let go of Darcy’s lie, even though he knew he had all but already admitted it was a lie. “I kept track of you when she came home from that trip, and, funny thing, every time she said she was visiting you, you weren’t there. Now, I thought about calling her out, but even I could tell that would be a dick move. Besides, she seemed happier, and the lie wasn’t hurting anyone except maybe herself.”

“All I want is to make her happy.”

“Then do it. Tell her how you feel.”

Spencer took a swig from his glass. “Easier said than done. What if I screw it up? She’s my best friend and I don’t want to lose that.”

“And that’s why I gave you the full glass. A little liquid courage never hurt.” Spencer looked at his glass and was surprised to see it was two-thirds gone. “Bottoms up,” Tony said with a clink of glasses before tossing back the last of his drink. Spencer paused for only a moment before he did the same. No going back now. Tony slapped a hand on his shoulder, and Spencer lurched a bit at the motion. “Go get the girl.”

Spencer stood and wobbled just a bit before squaring his shoulders and walking a relatively straight line to the elevator. The door opened immediately and as he stepped in, Jarvis asked, “Miss Lewis’s floor?”

“Yes. Thank you Jarvis.” Though he was swaying a tiny bit, his words were clear and not slurred. Before he could even consider what he was going to say, he was letting himself into Darcy’s apartment.

“Spencer?” Darcy called from the couch.

“Reid?” asked Penelope from the television.

“Ladies,” he said as he joined Darcy on the couch, practically falling onto the soft furniture. Darcy laughed a little and his eyes focused on the movement of her lips and the crinkle of her eyes. “Thank you Garcia,” he said, shifting his attention from Darcy’s lips. “Natasha said you were a big help.”

“Yeah,” Darcy agreed, cuddling into his side, “I can’t thank you enough. It was incredibly thoughtful.”

“It was all Reid’s idea. Besides, I wanted to be there for you even though I couldn’t actually be there, sugarplum.”

“Well thank you for your part. I’m just...so touched that so many people would help me celebrate my dad’s life.”

“It’s because we like and care about you. I mean, Reid dropped everything to be there with you.”

“Yeah, he did,” Darcy agreed, smiling softly up at him.

“You know, I was wondering when it would happen, and it took too long if you ask me, but I’m glad you two finally got together.”

“Errr,” Darcy stammered a bit, shooting Spencer a look. “How did you come to that conclusion?”

“I follow you on instagram. _Duh_. That picture and caption were pretty straightforward. For real, how else can you interpret ‘he’s all mine’? But, I also would have known even if you hadn’t put a caption at all. It was written all over your adorably loved up faces. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. Actually, ridiculously happy people are my favorite people to be around. Not that I’m around you in the real sense, but you know what I mean.”

“Thanks again, Garcia,” Spencer said, catching on to Darcy’s discomfort. “But it’s been kind of a long day, so if you don’t mind, we should be going.”

“Of course!” Penelope chirped. “Have a good night lovebirds!” she added before logging off.

Immediately Darcy turned to him. “I am so sorry, Spencer! I didn’t even think about the fact that one of your friends might see my post and think we were together.”

“There are worse things they could think.”

“Yeah but-”

“-No buts,” he said firmly but gently. “I’m ecstatic that they think you could be in love with me.”

“Of course I could be,” she defended. “You’re perfect. Who wouldn’t be?”

“Lots of people. But they don’t matter because the only woman I’ve ever wanted to love me is you.”

He heard Darcy’s sharp intake of breath and then she was kissing him. Her hands were on his jaw and all he could feel was the nearness of her overtaking his senses. He froze for just a moment as his brain shorted and restarted before his hands found her waist and pulled her fully into his lap, kissing back with years of built up hope. He pulled away sooner than he would have liked, and she whimpered softly against his lips.

“I just need to be clear,” he whispered, unwilling to break the magic of the moment with anything louder, “I’m in love with you and have been for years. And we can keep being just friends if you want, but I need you to know you’re everything to me, and I’d do absolutely anything to make you happy, even if it means backing off.”

“Shhh,” she shushed, her finger pressed softly against his lips. “We’ve both been stupid. It took me too long to realize it, but I’ve loved you since we met, I think. But I was afraid I’d lose you if I told you, and now all I can think of is how much time we’ve wasted being worried instead of being honest.”

“Bear,” he said with mock seriousness, “will you be my girlfriend for real? Not just to get Natasha off your back?”

“Yes, but only on one condition.”

“Name it.”

“Tell me why you taste like whiskey.”

He laughed and swept a few stray hairs from her face. “It’s _Scotch_ and it was because Tony thought I needed some liquid courage to tell you the truth.”

“Did you? Need the courage, that is?” she wondered. He nodded. “Then Thor bless Tony and his collection of top shelf alcohol. I can’t imagine how long we would have continued to pine otherwise.”

“I’d like to think it wouldn’t have been much longer, but I know you and I better than that.”

“I’m going to have to tell Jane it isn’t pretend anymore.”

“And I’m going to field so many ‘I knew it!’-s from the team. But it’s worth it, if I have you.”

“Oh man,” Darcy said with a happy sigh, “if you’re always going to be this romantic, I’m going to be constantly swooning.”

“Nah,” he said, leaning into her, “you’ll build up a tolerance eventually. Which we should get started on right now,” he finished as his lips found hers once more.

**Author's Note:**

> A quick note to everyone that has commented on my fics in the last 6 or so months: I've seen and read every comment, but my writing mojo was missing, and I didn't respond. I'm sorry, but I love you and I'm going to try and do better.
> 
> As for the title, I joked to some friends that I was going to start naming my fics "The One Where..." so they would be easier to remember. This title is for all my Darcyland friends who have difficulty with titles. ; )


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